The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability
Abstract Against a changing climate, the development of evidence‐based and progressive conservation policies depends on robust and quantitative baseline studies to resolve habitat natural variability and rate of change. Despite Antarctica's significant role in global climate regulation, climate...
Published in: | Earth's Future |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/article/ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be 2023-05-15T13:53:48+02:00 The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability Claudia Colesie Yueming Pan S. Craig Cary Emma Gemal Lars Brabyn Jeong‐Hoon Kim T. G. Allan Green Charles K. Lee 2022-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/article/ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/toc/2328-4277 2328-4277 doi:10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/article/ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be Earth's Future, Vol 10, Iss 8, Pp n/a-n/a (2022) baseline environment terrestrial ecosystem climate change Antarctica remote sensing moss Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 2022-12-30T22:14:37Z Abstract Against a changing climate, the development of evidence‐based and progressive conservation policies depends on robust and quantitative baseline studies to resolve habitat natural variability and rate of change. Despite Antarctica's significant role in global climate regulation, climate trend estimates for continental Antarctica are ambiguous due to sparse long‐term in situ records. Here, we present the longest, spatially explicit survey of Antarctic vegetation by harmonizing historic vegetation mapping with modern remote sensing techniques. In 1961, E. D. Rudolph established a permanent survey plot at Cape Hallett, one of the most botanically diverse areas along the Ross Sea coastline, harboring all known types of non‐vascular Antarctic vegetation. Following a survey in 2004 using ground‐based photography, we conducted the third survey of Rudolph's Plot in 2018 using near‐ground remote sensing and methodologies closely mirroring the two historic surveys to identify long‐term changes and trends. Our results revealed that the vegetation at Cape Hallett remained stable over the past six decades with no evidence of transformation related to a changing climate. Instead, the local vegetation shows strong seasonal phenology, distribution patterns that are driven by water availability, and steady perennial growth of moss. Given that East Antarctica is at the tipping point of drastic change in the near future, with biological change having been reported at certain locations, this record represents a unique and potentially the last opportunity to establish a meaningful biological sentinel that will allow us to track subtle yet impactful environmental change in terrestrial Antarctica in the 21st century. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ross Sea Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea Hallett ENVELOPE(170.217,170.217,-72.317,-72.317) Rudolph ENVELOPE(-62.433,-62.433,-64.900,-64.900) Cape Hallett ENVELOPE(170.217,170.217,-72.317,-72.317) Earth's Future 10 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
baseline environment terrestrial ecosystem climate change Antarctica remote sensing moss Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
baseline environment terrestrial ecosystem climate change Antarctica remote sensing moss Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 Claudia Colesie Yueming Pan S. Craig Cary Emma Gemal Lars Brabyn Jeong‐Hoon Kim T. G. Allan Green Charles K. Lee The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability |
topic_facet |
baseline environment terrestrial ecosystem climate change Antarctica remote sensing moss Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Abstract Against a changing climate, the development of evidence‐based and progressive conservation policies depends on robust and quantitative baseline studies to resolve habitat natural variability and rate of change. Despite Antarctica's significant role in global climate regulation, climate trend estimates for continental Antarctica are ambiguous due to sparse long‐term in situ records. Here, we present the longest, spatially explicit survey of Antarctic vegetation by harmonizing historic vegetation mapping with modern remote sensing techniques. In 1961, E. D. Rudolph established a permanent survey plot at Cape Hallett, one of the most botanically diverse areas along the Ross Sea coastline, harboring all known types of non‐vascular Antarctic vegetation. Following a survey in 2004 using ground‐based photography, we conducted the third survey of Rudolph's Plot in 2018 using near‐ground remote sensing and methodologies closely mirroring the two historic surveys to identify long‐term changes and trends. Our results revealed that the vegetation at Cape Hallett remained stable over the past six decades with no evidence of transformation related to a changing climate. Instead, the local vegetation shows strong seasonal phenology, distribution patterns that are driven by water availability, and steady perennial growth of moss. Given that East Antarctica is at the tipping point of drastic change in the near future, with biological change having been reported at certain locations, this record represents a unique and potentially the last opportunity to establish a meaningful biological sentinel that will allow us to track subtle yet impactful environmental change in terrestrial Antarctica in the 21st century. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Claudia Colesie Yueming Pan S. Craig Cary Emma Gemal Lars Brabyn Jeong‐Hoon Kim T. G. Allan Green Charles K. Lee |
author_facet |
Claudia Colesie Yueming Pan S. Craig Cary Emma Gemal Lars Brabyn Jeong‐Hoon Kim T. G. Allan Green Charles K. Lee |
author_sort |
Claudia Colesie |
title |
The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability |
title_short |
The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability |
title_full |
The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability |
title_fullStr |
The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Longest Baseline Record of Vegetation Dynamics in Antarctica Reveals Acute Sensitivity to Water Availability |
title_sort |
longest baseline record of vegetation dynamics in antarctica reveals acute sensitivity to water availability |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/article/ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(170.217,170.217,-72.317,-72.317) ENVELOPE(-62.433,-62.433,-64.900,-64.900) ENVELOPE(170.217,170.217,-72.317,-72.317) |
geographic |
Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea Hallett Rudolph Cape Hallett |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic East Antarctica Ross Sea Hallett Rudolph Cape Hallett |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ross Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ross Sea |
op_source |
Earth's Future, Vol 10, Iss 8, Pp n/a-n/a (2022) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/toc/2328-4277 2328-4277 doi:10.1029/2022EF002823 https://doaj.org/article/ab3cc8ae02c64d46ac414e45257de6be |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002823 |
container_title |
Earth's Future |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
8 |
_version_ |
1766259265504280576 |